refugee:

A person who flees his or her homeland because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, political belief, ethnicity, or belonging to a certain social group.

| our programs

Resettlement and
Resource Navigation

Welcoming new refugees to Georgia and helping them start their path to self-sufficiency.
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Education and Youth

Ensuring students and their families can find educational success through our Bright Futures program.
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Forward Adult Education

Working with new Americans on a pathway to English language and career success.
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Family Empowerment

Providing holistic early intervention and crisis intervention to new American families.
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Immigration

Providing high quality and low cost immigration legal services for refugees and immigrants.
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Civic Engagement

Building up leaders and ensuring new Americans are engaged in the civic process.
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NEW AMERICAN PATHWAYS WELCOMED

140 refugees

to Georgia in 2020

| Resettlement and Resource Navigation

The newly-arrived refugees we serve, who represent a wide range of cultures and languages, are under tremendous pressure to adapt quickly to American life and culture. Within a few short months, they are expected to speak English, find sustainable employment, enroll their children in school, and understand the complexities of the American health care system, government programs, the school system, and social services.

With decades of experience, our case management team members, many of whom are former refugees themselves, know how to help refugee families overcome barriers to success. Through community partnerships and referrals, shared experience, common language, and cultural affinity, they build trust and personal relationships, provide positive role models for success, and encourage new Americans to persevere. We walk with new Americans on their journey to self-sufficiency through Ongoing Services for up to five years from the date of arrival, with case management and career support.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

  • 85% of clients in our Health Case Management program moved from crisis to self-sufficiency last year.
  • Newly arrived refugees scored an average of 99% on their assessment after completing New AP’s Cultural Orientation course.
  • New American Pathways placed 102 individuals in jobs in 2020. All were full time with benefits with an average wage of $12.43 an hour

contact the Resettlement and Resource Program

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180 +

refugee youth receive homework help, literacy support, and academic enrichment

in our after school and summer programs each year

| Education and youth

Refugee youth face specific challenges to success including education gaps, language barriers, and limited supplemental academic support. In addition, newly arriving refugee children exhibit a strong need for focused social and behavioral support as they acclimate to the United States’ education system and culture. Not addressing these needs may leave youth and their families a short window of opportunity to obtain literacy and core skills before graduating from high school.

Despite these challenges, we consistently find that when refugee youth are supported by social structures and targeted assistance, they make rapid progress in their education and thrive as members of their community.

Led by experienced professional educators, our Youth Programs ensure that refugee youth advance on grade level and enter high school prepared and on-track to graduate, while our School Liaison program ensures individualized support to parents so they are able to navigate the U.S. school system.. In partnership with DeKalb County Schools, 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Inspiritus, we provide Pathways to Bright Futures, a school-based afterschool and summer enrichment program with school liaison services. We serve approximately 180 refugee students and 90 parents each year.

program outcomes

  • Last year, 85% of parents who received School Liaison support met their parent engagement goals, increasing their confidence and understanding of their child’s educational needs and the school system as a whole.
  • 90% of Bright Futures Students met their individual learning goals last year.
  • Bright Futures students who attended regularly increased on average 5 reading levels last year.

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Click here for our annual impact report and here ffor our full summative 21st Century Learning Center programming

83%

of Forward Cohort participants achieved one of their major career goals within one year of completion of the program.

| Forward Adult Education

man recieving a Certificat of Professional Development award from New American Pathways

english at home

English at Home is a home centered program that provides in-home English as a second language (ESL) tutoring, and cultural mentorship for refugees with the help of dedicated volunteers. Most refugees served are those who do not have access to other ESL services – the elderly, mothers of small children, those whose work schedules prevent them from being able to attend classes, and those who are homebound due to cultural expectations or with acute disability. Volunteers visit the students’ homes for two hours once a week to help with English language development using curriculum provided by New AP.

English at Home is one of our greatest ongoing volunteer needs. Check out our volunteer page to learn how you can get involved.

program outcomes

  • In 2020, New American Pathways helped 108 new Americans with vocational counseling support.
  • Last year, 90% of Forward Clients met an individual career goal within one year of participating in the program
  • 45 clients were matched with an ESL tutor through English at Home last year.

contact the forward Program

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New American Pathways’ Forward Adult Education Program provides support to refugees and immigrants who are looking to improve their English fluency and grow in their careers. Our English at Home program matches volunteers with new Americans for one on one English Tutoring. Our vocational counseling services help refugees and immigrants develop the skills they need to advance in their careers through one on one support and/or enrollment in our Forward Career Pathways cohort program.

The Forward program provides targeted vocational services for the purpose of assisting clients in obtaining higher education degrees and/or advancement in their career. Program components include financial literacy education, career and education counseling, credential evaluation referrals, and assistance with internship, training, and job placements. Interested refugees and immigrants can take advantage of one on one appointments, or can sign up for the Forward Cohort, a 12 week intensive program which includes one-on-one career counseling, workshops, and mentorship support.

career pathways and vocational counseling

Many refugees and immigrants bring a wealth of education and job skills and want to pursue careers that utilize their skills and provide a sustainable financial future for their families. The Forward program supports long- term self-sufficiency by providing a pathway to education, sustainable employment and financial literacy.  In order to move beyond initial self-sufficiency into meaningful careers, many refugees need targeted support services. Also, in recent years, we have seen an increase in arrivals who hold advanced degrees in their home countries and want to immediately pursue higher level employment in the United States.

The Forward program gives these individuals targeted services to place them on their pathway to Success. Program components include financial literacy, career counseling, educational planning, vocational ESL, career training workshops, and mentorship. Interested refugees and immigrants can take advantage of our drop in services on a weekly basis, or can sign up for the Forward Cohort, a 12 week intensive program designed to help clients develop their career goals and an action plan to achieve those goals.

tutoring

parents as teachers educators delivered

over 1,200

Virtual and In person home visits last year

| FAMILY EMPOWERMENT

The concept of “family empowerment” varies in meaning in different parts of the world. Refugee parents want to lay a secure foundation for their children’s success, but that they sometimes need additional support, skills, and  education. We provide early intervention, family violence prevention, and targeted women’s career development to support refugee parents and their children.

Parents as Teachers

Through Parents as Teachers (PAT), a nationally accredited, evidence-based curriculum, we help parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers understand child development, promote literacy, access early learning programs, and become effective teachers and advocates. PAT’s mission is to provide the information, support and encouragement that parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of their lives. One of PAT’s core principles is based on the notion that parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers. PAT educators support refugee parents in being the best teachers they can be.

Family Violence Prevention

Through our Family Violence Prevention program, we deliver culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate services to refugee and immigrant victims of domestic violence in a supportive and trusting environment. With more than 20 languages spoken on staff, we are uniquely prepared to meet both the language needs and the culturally specific issues of refugee victims of domestic violence. Advocates provide crisis intervention, as well as post-crisis services that help victims become survivors, who are safe, stable, and self-sufficient.

Women’s Careers

Our Women’s Careers program provides targeted career development assistance to refugee women with a full range of English skills and professional backgrounds. Clients develop an individual career development plan with their employment specialist and establish job-related goals they can achieve within one year. Clients receive direct employment assistance, including resume writing, interview preparation, job searches, completing job applications, and other support toward employment goals. They may be matched with mentors when appropriate to provide guidance in their field of choice. Clients are connected with ESL services and other skill building resources  that are necessary to prepare them for employment.

Contact the family empowerment program

Contact Form

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

  • In 2019, the Domestic Violence prevention program advocated for 118 survivors of domestic abuse. After achieving services, 85% of them reached their safety, stability, and self sufficiency goals.
  • 110 refugee women were assisted with finding employment. 42 women received career advancements over the course of the year.

98%

of the individuals we assisted with Citizenship Applications

were approved last year

| immigration

Navigating the United States Immigration system can be overwhelming. Our Immigration Services team provides low-cost high-quality immigration legal services to refugees, asylees, Cuban entrants, survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and other crimes, and other immigrants who have low income. We are licensed through the Department of Justice to represent clients before USCIS (“Immigration”) and are working toward licensing to represent people in Immigration Court.

Our department assists people by filing applications for green cards, work permits, marriage-based cases, family reunification, citizenship, travel documents, and various other types of cases. We hold weekly walk-ins where we give advice, make appointments, check on pending cases, and complete simple applications for people.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

  • We helped 205 refugees apply for Green Cards in 2020.
  • Last year, we helped 91 individuals apply for United States Citizenship. 
PLEASE NOTE: Our walk in link has changed! Go here for our virtual office hours. 
 
The New American Pathways Immigration Department has received many inquiries on how to help individuals in Afghanistan. For resources and information relevant to Afghanistan Special Immigrant Visas and Priority 2 (P2) Designation, please read our Afghanistan Information Sheet.

Contact the immigration program

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in 2019, our voter registration efforts resulted in

5,943 new citizen

voters being added to the Georgia voter rolls. 

| civic engagement

We are committed to supporting activities that promote civic involvement, encourage self-advocacy, and help build collective power within new American communities. This includes initiatives aimed at boosting electoral participation,  increasing rates of Census completion, and building the capacity of new American leaders to organize their respective communities.  We also work alongside allies within communities to engage in education and advocacy opportunities. It is through this lens of civic empowerment and participation in Democracy that we seek to promote more welcoming policies in Georgia.

voter engagement

Through our coalition work with other partners who are committed to increasing voter engagement throughout the state, we register new citizens to vote at every single naturalization ceremony. Our voter engagement program additionally consists of field-based voter registration, voter education workshops, and voter mobilization activities such as door-to-door canvassing and phone banking. 

Check out our 2020 Election Voter Resources here. 

Closeup of man registering to vote

contact the civic ENGAGEMENT Program

Contact Form

advocacy

In collaboration with our partners in the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies and other immigrant rights advocacy organizations, we advocate for more welcoming policies at both the federal and state levels of government.  We also promote community organizing efforts to connect refugees and new Americans to opportunities to share their stories with legislators and advocate on behalf of themselves and their communities.

civic education and The Civic Pathways Leadership Program

Meaningful civic engagement starts with connecting new Americans to foundational concepts around government and elements of how it operates. We conduct workshops in refugee and immigrant communities on a variety of topics.

New American Pathways is excited to announce the second year of Civic Pathways, an 8-month leadership development program created in partnership with the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute of Leadership. We are currently seeking applicants to join the 2022-2023 cohort of new American leaders who, beginning in September, will participate in a series of monthly workshops, discussions, projects, and other activities designed to strengthen their skills as civic leaders in their local communities. Learn more about the program here, and apply here. 

2020 census engagement

New American Pathways worked with the refugee and immigrant communities in DeKalb County to ensure that Georgia’s newest Americans had access to key information and resources designed to facilitate census completion.  In partnership with fellow members of Metro Atlanta-based Census Complete Count Committees, we ensured refugees and other new Americans were counted in the Census through efforts centered on community outreach and education and grassroots mobilization of new American Census organizers who are working within their respective communities to help “Get Out the Count.”

program outcomes

  • Our 2020 GOTV efforts included 351,000 text messages sent, 5,500 postcards mailed, and 31,000 multilingual, informational mailers to eligible voters. 

  • Eligible voters we contacted through GOTV efforts in 2020 had an 86.22% turnout in the election.